Thank you so much for the reviews! They ALL had me grinning ear to ear! Thanks for the suggestions, I will do my best to incorporate them. Chapter 5!
Spencer gave her outfit a final look over as she turned around in the mirror. Hanna insisted she wear something from her closet stating "Wear something from yours and people would think you're there to do their taxes."
So, there she stood in a cropped and ruffled black off the shoulder top with blue ripped jeans and her black and sparkling pumps. Spencer had to admit she looked hot but tonight was about being with her girls, well and Caleb, not about finding a bed buddy. She couldn't decide if that decision was solely because of her friends or the blue-eyed handsome man she met yesterday. Shoving the uncertain thoughts out of her head, she decided to allow her soft curls to fall where they may before she grabbed her wristlet and made her way to the living room.
Checking her phone, she made note of the time.
"Han, we're supposed to meet the girls and Caleb at 7 and its 6:30. Come on, you know how long it takes to find a cab on a Saturday night." She yelled.
As she began typing a text to Emily expressing her excitement to see her that night, Hanna opened her room door and barreled out before she could press send.
Pocketing her phone, Spencer let out a teasing whistle as she looked at her friend.
Hanna wore a red, silky, long sleeved, V-neck shirt that was tucked into a pair of black skinny jeans. The outfit was accompanied by a pair of beige double buckle heels and her expanding smile.
"Spence, he's gonna love it!" Hanna exclaimed looking at her, eyes widening as she realized her mistake. He?
"C-Caleb is gonna love my outfit because… he loves me in red." She stuttered as she basically ran out the door.
"Okaaay." Spencer drawled out as she thought of how she ended up agreeing to going to a bar that night even though she had to be up bright and early to finish packing the store.
Earlier That Day
The girls and Caleb arrived at Allure that Saturday morning at the crack of dawn with a plethora of packing boxes and a rental truck to begin stripping the store for remodeling.
The excitement that Hanna and Spencer contained quickly died down as noon arrived and they realized they were nowhere near done.
"What I don't get is why you didn't ask your employees to help you." Caleb muttered as he passed yet another box to Hanna before she disappeared behind the mountains of storage boxes.
"And where am I going to get the money to pay them, Caleb? Out of my ass? We can't afford paying any employees or professionals, not when we can just do it ourselves." she retorted annoyed.
"I'm going to get more boxes." He muttered before shuffling inside the shop once again.
"Okay, so the camisoles, baby dolls, and kimonos are boxed up and so are their display tables," Spencer began as she saw Caleb walk in.
"…I need you to get the ladder and start taking down those." She said pointing to the large posters on the brick walls of the Eifel Tower, flowers, and other Parisian graphics.
"You know this would be a lot easier if we had help."
"Wait, why don't you call Toby. I'm sure he wouldn't mind doing a favor for a friend." Hanna asked her boyfriend pointedly as she made her way back into the store, clipboard in hand.
Spencer released a small smile as she thought of seeing the blue-eyed man, she had met just the day before.
With his back turned, Caleb began to climb the ladder while shaking his head. "Toby's going to be in Brooklyn until tomorrow night. He's helping rebuild a homeless shelter that closed down a couple years back."
Instantly picturing Toby wearing a hard hat and dangerously not wearing a shirt at a construction site, Spencer internally scolded herself. Damn you Spencer, damn you for seeing the act of giving back to a community as a freaking turn on.
"Wow, that impressive, right Spence?" Hanna questioned the brunette with a knowing smile.
"Yeah." She replied, wincing at her voice crack as she pretended to busy herself with a clipboard.
"I was thinking that we should all go out for drinks at Trilly's tonight. You know, in celebration of all our hard work." Caleb said glancing at Hanna, as he made his way down the ladder with the large poster in hand.
"I'm good, you guys don't have to do that couples thing where you only invite me because I'm standing in the room." Spencer stated as she looked between the two with a wrinkled nose, shaking her head.
"Spence, stop, we really think you should come." Hanna clarified.
"Yeah, well you both said that going to Disney World together would be fun not mentioning that you guys were staying in the "Grand Romance Suite." Spencer air quoted with raised brows.
"Hey, after my mom bought that package for us, I called to switch it to two different rooms." Caleb defensively stated.
"Yeah I know there was a mix up but guess who had to sleep on the pull-out couch like a boy cousin next to your heart shaped bed because they were completely booked for the night. I know you guys want to keep this whole Hanna and Caleb plus Spencer thing alive but…"
Actually, she didn't need to make up a reason. She'd rather watch the 'Sharknado' series on repeat than be the awkward third wheel on one of their dates.
"It's weird and awkward, so I'll pass."
"Spence, come on, you know what, we could invite Aria and Em and they could spend a couple days at the apartment, not to mention we need the help for tomorrow." Hanna bribed knowing Spencer was always up to see her other two best friends.
Spencer turned her head to ponder. Well, she did finish all her assignments for her classes next week and she really did miss going out with friends.
"If you could get Aria and Emily to come then yes, count me in."
"Wait, so she doesn't know I'm coming?" Toby questioned Caleb as he slid into the back of the cab.
"Nope," Caleb said, providing emphasis on the "p" as he settled into the back of the car as well before pulling out his phone and beginning a game of Solitaire.
"Why wouldn't you and Han tell her, its just drinks with friends." Toby questioned him, not really believing himself.
And judging by the look Caleb was giving him, he doubted he believed him either.
"Don't do that."
"Don't do what?" Toby asked with feign innocence.
"Don't pretend that Hastings didn't wake up your cold, dead heart," He said as he slid the cards along the screen.
"Admit it, you can say joint bank account without gagging now, can't you?" Caleb teased looking at Toby with an annoying smirk.
"I'm changing the locks tonight."
Sensing his attitude, Caleb placed his phone in his pocket before speaking again, this time more seriously.
"Toby, it's okay to admit that you want to get to know Spencer. It's also okay that you're open to the possibility of letting somebody in."
"Put all that crap from Montecito in the past and focus on moving forward with your life." His best friend said earnestly as the cab stopped in front of the bar.
Paying the cab driver as he got out the car, Toby released a light chuckle as Caleb sent Hanna a quick text.
"Let's do this."
Glancing at her phone again, Spencer released a grunt. Trilly's Bar was large and due to it being a Saturday night, it was packed. Radio music was blasting from the dance floor downstairs as she looked around the space wondering why they trusted Caleb in choosing a suitable bar.
"They're late. How are all three of them late?" Hanna and Spencer were currently sitting across from each other in a large booth upstairs that was more secluded from the party scene.
Her question went unanswered as Hanna continued to stare at the entrance of the upstairs portion of the building.
"Han!"
"Hm." She muttered as she looked at Spencer for a couple seconds before turning her head back to the door.
"I don't think staring at the door is gonna make them magically appear. I'm calling Aria." Spencer declared as she picked up her phone.
Instantly turning her head with enough force that might've almost given her whiplash, Hanna smacked Spencer's hand causing the phone to fall to the table.
"Han, what the hell?!" Spencer shrieked with anger.
"You can't call Aria because she…doesn't know…you know…she's here?" Hanna attempted, which caused Spencer to give her a confused stare.
"What?"
Nodding, Hanna assured herself before continuing, "Well I guess I might as well tell you," she began with an exaggerated sigh. "Aria and Em wanted to surprise you by coming up here and I couldn't keep my mouth shut."
"Oh well…okay." Weird but made sense. Sort of.
Thanking God that Spencer seemed to let it go, Hanna smiled and reached for the drink's menu.
"Who says we can't order while we wait. Ooo, this looks delicious." Hanna stated as she turned the menu around to show Spencer the alcoholic beverage.
"The Suck, Bang…and Blow," she read before looking up at Hanna with a grimace. "You're kidding me, right?"
"Not at all, Spence, not at all. You know I love my schnapps."
"Excuse me," Hanna said to a waiter passing by. "Can me and my friend here get two Suck, Bang, and Blow's, please."
Spencer's eyes widened as she attempted to correct the order.
"Actua- "
"Hurry, run!" Hanna interrupted, as she watched the waitress walk away with an odd expression before turning to smile at Spencer.
Before Spencer could open her mouth, Hanna's phone dinged, indicated that she just received a text.
Quickly picking it up, Hanna scanned it before rising from her seat with a smile.
"I'm going to the bathroom."
"Okay." she responded as Hanna disappeared into the crowd before she opened her mouth.
Picking up her phone, she decided on a game of word search. Halfway through finding 'Golden Retriever', Spencer's throat ran dry as the smell of the woods and mint made its way into her nose. Then,in his melodic voice, he spoke.
"Hey, Spencer."
Looking up slowly, Spencer's mocha eyes instantly locked with no other than Toby Cavanaugh's.
Staring at him for a couple seconds, Spencer tore her eyes away as she looked down at her phone as it pinged.
Surprise! -Hanna
She looked back up at Toby with the slightest amount of anger coursing through her veins. Girl's night plus Caleb, my ass. Gosh, she was so pissed at them.
And looking at Toby's stupidly cute face only fueled her emotions.
I ju- I just wanna…
"Suck, Bang, and Blow." The waiter said as she placed the two small, red beverages in front of her.
Toby raised his eyebrows and looked at Spencer with a wide grin as he took the seat that Hanna occupied previously.
"Is this for me?"
Oh God.
Expect an update realllly soon. Wink.
Oh, and spoiler alert, can you say: wedding!
I just want to clarify that Spoby wont be a slow burn or fast burn, more of a medium paced burn that doesn't feel too rushed or elongated :)